Windows 10 & Windows 8

/update on Oct 22, 2013/

The RT 8.1 update is now back to the Windows Store. And you can access it right from this link that will take you directly to the RT 8.1 Update page.

/update on Oct 19, 2013/

According to ZDnet’s Mary Jo Foley, the RT 8.1 update has been pulled off from Windows Store early Oct 19, the day after it was officially released, due to an installation issue. Microsoft’s team is working around the clock to resolve the situation as quickly as possible. But to be honest, I have been difficulty locating this RT 8.1 update since yesterday Oct 18. Well…stay awaiting…

The public preview is now officially over, Windows 8.1 is finally released to the public. It’s time to rock and roll, if you haven’t. This time, Microsoft has made it extremely easy to install or upgrade your system to this latest Windows. You can load it up just like installing a free Windows update. Only, this update is a few GB big.

Let’s take look how to take your Windows RT device to a new level.

First thing first, before we dive right in, make sure Create a Recovery Drive so that you can go back to Windows 8 without losing a thing if need to.

Once you have done that, head over to Store app, where you will most likely see the Windows 8.1 update app showing up. Or, alternatively, go to the main page of windows.com. You will see a different content, depending on which version you have installed. If you still have the original Windows 8 or RT installed, you will see a page like below:

Tap on the Get the free update button, you will be taken to Windows 8.1 Update app page on Windows Store.

But if you already have 8.1 Preview installed, you will see a different page that doesn’t have this Get the free update button. Instead, scroll down a page a little bit, you will see a how to update section with a link that will take you to a detail update guide specific for how to update from Windows 8.1 Preview to Windows 8.1.

From there, you can get direct access to Windows 8.1 RT update app page on Windows Store.

Windows RT 8.1 Update on Windows Store

Click install and let’s wait for the app to download and install. This is the step that takes the longest to finish. During the process, you can keep working on your device with other apps and programs. Or simply walk away to take some break, and come back in an hour or so to check if it went through successfully.

Once it’s finished, restart the device again. And that’s it. After the device is rebooted, go through a simple wizard and you are on board.

What if I couldn’t get the RT 8.1 update app page?

Most likely, if you are experiencing this weird issue, you are evaluating 8.1 Preview on your Surface at the moment. If that’s the case, here are a few things you can try.

One thing to check is to make sure all updates are installed on your tablet. You can go to PC Settings from Settings charm bar, and tap Update and recovery, and check to see if there are any updates that have been installed on your device. Install them all and restart your device, and give another shot.

If everything crashed, you might want to Reset your RT to start from beginning, or use the RT 8.0 Recovery Image to restore back to RT from RT 8.1 Preview.